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Alexander Ruthenburg

TitleAssociate Professor
InstitutionUniversity of Chicago
DepartmentMolecular Genetics and Cell Biology
AddressChicago IL 60637
Email
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    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    The unifying theme of my lab is the elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying management chromatin, the physiological form of the genome. In particular, we are interested in how post translational modifications to histones, newly appreciated DNA modifications and noncoding RNA can control chromatin structure. Our research spans several traditional disciplines, ranging from discovery biochemistry and genome-scale measurements to mechanistic characterization with biophysical methods coupled with X-Ray structure to address fundamental questions in chromatin biology. We have pioneered new technologies to make quantitative local measurements of chromatin components. Projects ideally will transition from discovery biology to detailed molecular and structural investigation.
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Rockefeller University , New York, NYPostdoctoral Fellow8/2010Chromatin biochemistry and epigenetics
    Harvard University , Cambridge, MAPh.D.9/2005Chemical and Structural biology
    Carleton College, Northfield, MNB.A.6/1999Chemistry
    Collapse awards and honors
    2011Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences
    2013 - 2017New Scholar in Aging, Ellison Medical Foundation
    2010 - 2015Neubauer Family Foundation Assistant Professor, University of Chicago
    2010 - 2012 Junior Investigator, Chicago Biomedical Consortium
    2007 - 2010 Irvington Institute Research Fellowship, Cancer Research Institute
    2000 - 2004National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow , Harvard University

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    R01CA310146     (RUTHENBURG, ALEXANDER JACKSON)Jul 1, 2026 - Jun 30, 2031
    NIH
    Defining the role of RNA binding by the MLL1 (KMT2A) complex in leukemia
    Role: Principal Investigator
    R35GM145373     (RUTHENBURG, ALEXANDER JACKSON)Sep 8, 2022 - Aug 31, 2027
    NIH
    Defining the mechanisms of epigenetic information flow
    Role: Principal Investigator
    T32GM139782     (THORNTON, JOSEPH W)Jul 1, 2021 - Jun 30, 2031
    NIH
    Genetic Mechanisms and Evolution-Renewal
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
    R01HL148719     (MOSKOWITZ, IVAN PAUL ;RUTHENBURG, ALEXANDER JACKSON)Aug 17, 2019 - Jul 31, 2023
    NIH
    Gene Regulatory Non-Coding RNAs in the Human Heart
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
    17CSA33610126     (Moskowitz & Ruthenburg)Jul 1, 2017
    American Heart Association
    Enhancer transcription as marker and modulator of cardiac regulatory networks
    Role Description: Collaborative Sciences Award
    Role: Co-PI
    RSG-16-248-01-DMC     (Ruthenburg)Jan 1, 2017 - Dec 31, 2020
    American Cancer Society
    Biochemical discovery of new epigenetic pathways linked to leukemia
    Role: Principal Invesitgator
    R01GM115945     (RUTHENBURG, ALEXANDER JACKSON)Apr 6, 2016 - Mar 31, 2021
    NIH
    Quantitatively probing intra-nucleosomal chromatin variation and function
    Role: Principal Investigator
    R44-HG008907     (Zu-Wen Sun)Dec 15, 2015 - Nov 30, 2017
    NIH
    Internally calibrated chromatin immunoprecipitation using barcoded nucleosomes
    Role Description: This is a phase II SBIR centered on commercializing the ICeChIP technology developed in my lab. Two products are now on the market, offered by Epicypher, Inc: SNAP-ChIP and CAP-ChIP.
    Role: Co-investigator
    R21HG007426     (RUTHENBURG, ALEXANDER JACKSON)Aug 22, 2013 - May 31, 2015
    NIH
    Calibrated ChIP-seq: determining local histone modification density genome-wide
    Role: Principal Investigator
    AG-NS-1118-13     (Ruthenburg)Aug 1, 2013 - Aug 1, 2017
    Ellison Medical Foundation
    Discovery of New Epigenetic Pathways involved in stem sell maintenance
    Role: Principal Investigator

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Kainth AS, Sirjoosingh P, Werner MS, Gupta A, Koide A, Koide S, Ruthenburg AJ. Promiscuous RNA binding by WDR5 remodels the KMT2A (MLL1) histone methyltransferase complex to an inactive state. Mol Cell. 2026 Sep 17; 86(18):3740-3758.e9. PMID: 42673957; PMCID: PMC13533456.
      Citations:    
    2. Bogdanovic JV, Galeota-Sprung J, Kainth AS, Medhanie F, Budhathoki A, Pappas V, Banani SF, Spille JH, Ruthenburg AJ. Large RNA polymerase II condensates are promoter-centric assemblies associated with early stages of transcription at all expressed genes. bioRxiv. 2026 May 25. PMID: 42244752; PMCID: PMC13232167.
      Citations:    
    3. Kainth AS, Sirjoosingh P, Werner MS, Gupta A, Koide A, Koide S, Ruthenburg AJ. Promiscuous RNA binding by WDR5 remodels the KMT2A (MLL1) histone methyltransferase complex to an inactive state. bioRxiv. 2026 May 22. PMID: 42239275; PMCID: PMC13228504.
      Citations:    
    4. Keplinger AJ, Cropley TC, Ortiz-Pacheco J, Srinivasan PA, Ueberheide BM, Ruthenburg AJ. Bound for the nucleus: defining the molecular principles of cargo selection by importin 9. bioRxiv. 2026 May 14. PMID: 42182196; PMCID: PMC13192796.
      Citations:    
    5. Lazarevic S, Perez-Cervantes C, Wang Z, Shen KM, Gadek M, Xiao J, Yamaguchi N, Hall JM, Koca Y, Chapski DJ, Rosa-Garrido M, Rubino M, Nadadur RD, McKinsey TA, Vondriska TM, Ruthenburg AJ, Pott S, Park DS, Moskowitz IP. A reduced TBX5-dependent gene regulatory network links atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2026 Feb; 5(2):96-117. PMID: 41731058; PMCID: PMC13464231.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    6. Keplinger AJ, Srinivasan PA, Christensen SM, Suarez C, Ruthenburg AJ. A revised model of nuclear actin import: Importin 9 competes with cofilin, profilin, and RanGTP for actin binding. J Biol Chem. 2026 Feb; 302(2):111123. PMID: 41478570; PMCID: PMC12860355.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    7. Keplinger AJ, Srinivasan PA, Christensen SM, Suarez C, Ruthenburg AJ. A revised model of nuclear actin import: Importin 9 competes with cofilin, profilin, and RanGTP for actin binding. bioRxiv. 2025 Sep 26. PMID: 41040170; PMCID: PMC12485787.
      Citations:    
    8. Memisoglu G, Bohn S, Krogan NJ, Haber JE, Ruthenburg AJ. The Mediator Kinase Module regulates cell cycle re-entry and transcriptional responses following DNA damage. bioRxiv. 2025 May 20. PMID: 40475552; PMCID: PMC12139960.
      Citations:    
    9. Riso M, Shah RN, Koide A, Ruthenburg AJ, Koide S, Hattori T. Binding mode-guided development of high-performance antibodies targeting site-specific posttranslational modifications. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Jan 07; 122(1):e2411720121. PMID: 39793060; PMCID: PMC11725865.
      Citations: 3     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    10. Gaurav N, Kanai A, Lachance C, Cox KL, Liu J, Grzybowski AT, Saksouk N, Klein BJ, Komata Y, Asada S, Ruthenburg AJ, Poirier MG, Côté J, Yokoyama A, Kutateladze TG. Guiding the HBO1 complex function through the JADE subunit. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2024 Jul; 31(7):1039-1049. PMID: 38448574; PMCID: PMC11320721.
      Citations: 6     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    11. Kainth AS, Haddad GA, Hall JM, Ruthenburg AJ. Merging short and stranded long reads improves transcript assembly. PLoS Comput Biol. 2023 10; 19(10):e1011576. PMID: 37883581; PMCID: PMC10629667.
      Citations: 8     Fields:    Translation:Cells
    12. Chi P, Lewis PW, Lu C, Lu J, Ruthenburg AJ, Sabari BR, Shechter D, Wan L, Wang GG. Charles David Allis (1951-2023). Nat Genet. 2023 Apr; 55(4):522-523. PMID: 36849658.
      Citations:    Fields:    
    13. Shah RN, Ruthenburg AJ. Specificity Guides Interpretation: On H3K4 Methylation at Enhancers and Broad Promoters. bioRxiv. 2023 Jan 17. PMID: 36711866; PMCID: PMC9882130.
      Citations:    
    14. Zeng Y, Fair BJ, Zeng H, Krishnamohan A, Hou Y, Hall JM, Ruthenburg AJ, Li YI, Staley JP. Profiling lariat intermediates reveals genetic determinants of early and late co-transcriptional splicing. Mol Cell. 2022 12 15; 82(24):4681-4699.e8. PMID: 36435176; PMCID: PMC10448999.
      Citations: 29     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    15. Richter WF, Shah RN, Ruthenburg AJ. Non-canonical H3K79me2-dependent pathways promote the survival of MLL-rearranged leukemia. Elife. 2021 07 15; 10. PMID: 34263728; PMCID: PMC8315800.
      Citations: 11     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    16. Shah RN, Ruthenburg AJ. Sequence deeper without sequencing more: Bayesian resolution of ambiguously mapped reads. PLoS Comput Biol. 2021 04; 17(4):e1008926. PMID: 33872311; PMCID: PMC8084338.
      Citations: 6     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    17. Oikawa M, Simeone A, Hormanseder E, Teperek M, Gaggioli V, O'Doherty A, Falk E, Sporniak M, D'Santos C, Franklin VNR, Kishore K, Bradshaw CR, Keane D, Freour T, David L, Grzybowski AT, Ruthenburg AJ, Gurdon J, Jullien J. Epigenetic homogeneity in histone methylation underlies sperm programming for embryonic transcription. Nat Commun. 2020 07 13; 11(1):3491. PMID: 32661239; PMCID: PMC7359334.
      Citations: 24     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    18. Sun X, Wang Z, Hall JM, Perez-Cervantes C, Ruthenburg AJ, Moskowitz IP, Gribskov M, Yang XH. Chromatin-enriched RNAs mark active and repressive cis-regulation: An analysis of nuclear RNA-seq. PLoS Comput Biol. 2020 02; 16(2):e1007119. PMID: 32040509; PMCID: PMC7034927.
      Citations: 4     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    19. Grzybowski AT, Shah RN, Richter WF, Ruthenburg AJ. Native internally calibrated chromatin immunoprecipitation for quantitative studies of histone post-translational modifications. Nat Protoc. 2019 12; 14(12):3275-3302. PMID: 31723301; PMCID: PMC7158589.
      Citations: 11     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    20. Bennett RL, Bele A, Small EC, Will CM, Nabet B, Oyer JA, Huang X, Ghosh RP, Grzybowski AT, Yu T, Zhang Q, Riva A, Lele TP, Schatz GC, Kelleher NL, Ruthenburg AJ, Liphardt J, Licht JD. A Mutation in Histone H2B Represents a New Class of Oncogenic Driver. Cancer Discov. 2019 10; 9(10):1438-1451. PMID: 31337617; PMCID: PMC6774836.
      Citations: 52     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    21. Shah RN, Grzybowski AT, Cornett EM, Johnstone AL, Dickson BM, Boone BA, Cheek MA, Cowles MW, Maryanski D, Meiners MJ, Tiedemann RL, Vaughan RM, Arora N, Sun ZW, Rothbart SB, Keogh MC, Ruthenburg AJ. Examining the Roles of H3K4 Methylation States with Systematically Characterized Antibodies. Mol Cell. 2018 10 04; 72(1):162-177.e7. PMID: 30244833; PMCID: PMC6173622.
      Citations: 65     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    22. Karki S, Kennedy DE, Mclean K, Grzybowski AT, Maienschein-Cline M, Banerjee S, Xu H, Davis E, Mandal M, Labno C, Powers SE, Le Beau MM, Dinner AR, Singh H, Ruthenburg AJ, Clark MR. Regulated Capture of V? Gene Topologically Associating Domains by Transcription Factories. Cell Rep. 2018 08 28; 24(9):2443-2456. PMID: 30157436; PMCID: PMC6310487.
      Citations: 14     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    23. Maganti HB, Jrade H, Cafariello C, Manias Rothberg JL, Porter CJ, Battaion HL, Khan ST, Howard JP, Li Y, Grzybowski AT, Sabri E, Ruthenburg AJ, Dilworth FJ, Perkins TJ, Sabloff M, Ito CY, Stanford WL, Yockell-Lelièvre J. Targeting the MTF2-MDM2 Axis Sensitizes Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia to Chemotherapy. Cancer Discov. 2018 11; 8(11):1376-1389. PMID: 30115703; PMCID: PMC7200079.
      Citations: 34     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    24. Gupta A, Xu J, Lee S, Tsai ST, Zhou B, Kurosawa K, Werner MS, Koide A, Ruthenburg AJ, Dou Y, Koide S. Facile target validation in an animal model with intracellularly expressed monobodies. Nat Chem Biol. 2018 09; 14(9):895-900. PMID: 30013062; PMCID: PMC6103845.
      Citations: 21     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    25. Yang XH, Nadadur RD, Hilvering CR, Bianchi V, Werner M, Mazurek SR, Gadek M, Shen KM, Goldman JA, Tyan L, Bekeny J, Hall JM, Lee N, Perez-Cervantes C, Burnicka-Turek O, Poss KD, Weber CR, de Laat W, Ruthenburg AJ, Moskowitz IP. Transcription-factor-dependent enhancer transcription defines a gene regulatory network for cardiac rhythm. Elife. 2017 12 27; 6. PMID: 29280435; PMCID: PMC5745077.
      Citations: 31     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    26. Chen Z, Notti RQ, Ueberheide B, Ruthenburg AJ. Quantitative and Structural Assessment of Histone Methyllysine Analogue Engagement by Cognate Binding Proteins Reveals Affinity Decrements Relative to Those of Native Counterparts. Biochemistry. 2018 01 23; 57(3):300-304. PMID: 29111671; PMCID: PMC5780203.
      Citations: 11     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    27. Werner MS, Sullivan MA, Shah RN, Nadadur RD, Grzybowski AT, Galat V, Moskowitz IP, Ruthenburg AJ. Chromatin-enriched lncRNAs can act as cell-type specific activators of proximal gene transcription. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2017 Jul; 24(7):596-603. PMID: 28628087; PMCID: PMC5682930.
      Citations: 55     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    28. Hattori T, Lai D, Dementieva IS, Kurosawa K, Zheng Y, Akin LR, Swist-Rosowska KM, Grzybowski AT, Koide A, Krajewski K, Strahl BD, Kelleher NL, Ruthenburg AJ, Koide S, Montaño SP. Antigen clasping by two antigen-binding sites of an exceptionally specific antibody for histone methylation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Feb 23; 113(8):2092-7. PMID: 26862167; PMCID: PMC4776465.
      Citations: 27     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    29. Werner MS, Ruthenburg AJ. Nuclear Fractionation Reveals Thousands of Chromatin-Tethered Noncoding RNAs Adjacent to Active Genes. Cell Rep. 2015 Aug 18; 12(7):1089-98. PMID: 26257179; PMCID: PMC5697714.
      Citations: 101     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    30. Rothbart SB, Dickson BM, Raab JR, Grzybowski AT, Krajewski K, Guo AH, Shanle EK, Josefowicz SZ, Fuchs SM, Allis CD, Magnuson TR, Ruthenburg AJ, Strahl BD. An Interactive Database for the Assessment of Histone Antibody Specificity. Mol Cell. 2015 Aug 06; 59(3):502-11. PMID: 26212453; PMCID: PMC4530063.
      Citations: 90     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    31. Grzybowski AT, Chen Z, Ruthenburg AJ. Calibrating ChIP-Seq with Nucleosomal Internal Standards to Measure Histone Modification Density Genome Wide. Mol Cell. 2015 Jun 04; 58(5):886-99. PMID: 26004229; PMCID: PMC4458216.
      Citations: 48     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    32. Chen Z, Grzybowski AT, Ruthenburg AJ. Traceless semisynthesis of a set of histone 3 species bearing specific lysine methylation marks. Chembiochem. 2014 Sep 22; 15(14):2071-5. PMID: 25155436; PMCID: PMC4415702.
      Citations: 12     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    33. Hattori T, Taft JM, Swist KM, Luo H, Witt H, Slattery M, Koide A, Ruthenburg AJ, Krajewski K, Strahl BD, White KP, Farnham PJ, Zhao Y, Koide S. Recombinant antibodies to histone post-translational modifications. Nat Methods. 2013 Oct; 10(10):992-5. PMID: 23955773; PMCID: PMC3828030.
      Citations: 34     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    34. Mohrig JR, Beyer BG, Fleischhacker AS, Ruthenburg AJ, John SG, Snyder DA, Nyffeler PT, Noll RJ, Penner ND, Phillips LA, Hurley HL, Jacobs JS, Treitel C, James TL, Montgomery MP. Does activation of the anti proton, rather than concertedness, determine the stereochemistry of base-catalyzed 1,2-elimination reactions? Anti stereospecificity in E1cB eliminations of ß-3-trifluoromethylphenoxy esters, thioesters, and ketones. J Org Chem. 2012 Mar 16; 77(6):2819-28. PMID: 22321002.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Cells
    35. Malecek K, Ruthenburg A. Validation of histone-binding partners by peptide pull-downs and isothermal titration calorimetry. Methods Enzymol. 2012; 512:187-220. PMID: 22910208.
      Citations: 5     Fields:    Translation:Cells
    36. Werner M, Ruthenburg AJ. The United States of histone ubiquitylation and methylation. Mol Cell. 2011 Jul 08; 43(1):5-7. PMID: 21726805.
      Citations: 10     Fields:    
    37. Ruthenburg AJ, Li H, Milne TA, Dewell S, McGinty RK, Yuen M, Ueberheide B, Dou Y, Muir TW, Patel DJ, Allis CD. Recognition of a mononucleosomal histone modification pattern by BPTF via multivalent interactions. Cell. 2011 May 27; 145(5):692-706. PMID: 21596426; PMCID: PMC3135172.
      Citations: 207     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    38. Milne TA, Kim J, Wang GG, Stadler SC, Basrur V, Whitcomb SJ, Wang Z, Ruthenburg AJ, Elenitoba-Johnson KS, Roeder RG, Allis CD. Multiple interactions recruit MLL1 and MLL1 fusion proteins to the HOXA9 locus in leukemogenesis. Mol Cell. 2010 Jun 25; 38(6):853-63. PMID: 20541448; PMCID: PMC2902588.
      Citations: 138     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    39. Ruthenburg AJ, Li H, Patel DJ, Allis CD. Multivalent engagement of chromatin modifications by linked binding modules. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2007 Dec; 8(12):983-94. PMID: 18037899; PMCID: PMC4690530.
      Citations: 574     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    40. Taverna SD, Li H, Ruthenburg AJ, Allis CD, Patel DJ. How chromatin-binding modules interpret histone modifications: lessons from professional pocket pickers. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2007 Nov; 14(11):1025-1040. PMID: 17984965; PMCID: PMC4691843.
      Citations: 736     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    41. Ruthenburg AJ, Allis CD, Wysocka J. Methylation of lysine 4 on histone H3: intricacy of writing and reading a single epigenetic mark. Mol Cell. 2007 Jan 12; 25(1):15-30. PMID: 17218268.
      Citations: 655     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    42. Dou Y, Milne TA, Ruthenburg AJ, Lee S, Lee JW, Verdine GL, Allis CD, Roeder RG. Regulation of MLL1 H3K4 methyltransferase activity by its core components. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2006 Aug; 13(8):713-9. PMID: 16878130.
      Citations: 463     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    43. Ruthenburg AJ, Wang W, Graybosch DM, Li H, Allis CD, Patel DJ, Verdine GL. Histone H3 recognition and presentation by the WDR5 module of the MLL1 complex. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2006 Aug; 13(8):704-12. PMID: 16829959; PMCID: PMC4698793.
      Citations: 132     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    44. Losey HC, Ruthenburg AJ, Verdine GL. Crystal structure of Staphylococcus aureus tRNA adenosine deaminase TadA in complex with RNA. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2006 Feb; 13(2):153-9. PMID: 16415880.
      Citations: 115     Fields:    Translation:Cells
    45. Wei H, Ruthenburg AJ, Bechis SK, Verdine GL. Nucleotide-dependent domain movement in the ATPase domain of a human type IIA DNA topoisomerase. J Biol Chem. 2005 Nov 04; 280(44):37041-7. PMID: 16100112.
      Citations: 78     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    46. Ruthenburg AJ, Graybosch DM, Huetsch JC, Verdine GL. A superhelical spiral in the Escherichia coli DNA gyrase A C-terminal domain imparts unidirectional supercoiling bias. J Biol Chem. 2005 Jul 15; 280(28):26177-84. PMID: 15897198.
      Citations: 55     Fields:    Translation:Cells
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